Russia’s defending long jump champion Aleksandr Menkov showed nerves of steel to reach Tuesday’s final with a last round 8.08m at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing this morning.
Having fouled and then jumped 7.96m with his second attempt, he knew he had to pass eight metres to book his spot.
He paused on the runway, he took a deep breath and then he begun his sprint for a take-off that had room to spare on the board but his flight was still strong enough to see him reach the needed distance.
If Greg Rutherford had any anxiety after a first-round foul, he also did not show it as he easily reached the final.
Great Britain’s Rutherford, the Olympic and European champion, is looking to complete the set of major medals and he progressed as the second best qualifier (8.25m) with his second effort behind American Jeff Henderson (8.36m).
“I am in a good place,” said Rutherford. “We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Back on the track where she won the Olympic 400m title in 2008, Britain’s Christine Ohuruogu reached the semi-finals by winning her heat (51.01) ahead of France’s Marie Gayot (51.24) who ran a personal best while Italy’s European champion Libania Grenot also made it through (51.64) after finishing fourth in the sixth heat.
In the women’s pole vault final on Wednesday, Europe will have eight of the 14 finalists after Martina Strutz (Germany), Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou (Greece), Angelica Bengtsson (Sweden), Holly Bradshaw (Britain), Lisa Ryzih (Germany), Minna Nikkanen (Finland), Anzhelika Sidorova (Russia) and, with a personal best, Michaela Meijer (Sweden), all progressed after clearing 4.55m.
Croatia’s defending champion Sandra Perkovic (64.51m) and Germany’s Nadine Muller (64.39m) led the European qualifiers in the discus, while in the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Gesa Felicitas Krause, of Germany, was the second quickest (9:24.92) and will be joined in the final by fellow European Ozlem Kaya, of Türkiye, who ran a personal best time (9:30.23).